Jaguars Sharpen Attention to Detail in Panthers Joint Practice
JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville Jaguars gauged their skills against an opponent last Thursday in New Orleans, participating in a joint practice with the Saints, followed by a preseason game Saturday, where the Jaguars entered the second half down 20-6 before scoring 18 unanswered points to win 24-20.
Though the Jaguars passed their initial test, coach Liam Coen returned to Jacksonville expecting his team to set the tone on the field earlier and hone in on details, which they did Wednesday while hosting the Carolina Panthers for a joint practice during the 16th day of training camp.
“That’s kind of what we challenged them with a little bit,” Coen said Wednesday. “To come out and set a tone, come out and play fast instead of, ‘All right, we got to get punched in the mouth, and then we respond.’ So that was nice to see us be able to come out and start back.”
The Jaguars’ commitment to technique made an impression on Coen, especially along the offensive line, which is without Cole Van Lanen (knee), Patrick Mekari (back), Chuma Edoga (undisclosed) and Wyatt Milum (undisclosed) due to injury. However, the defense’s consistent inability to generate chances became a point of emphasis for Coen.
“From not watching the tape and seeing it all, I felt like we were a little bit cleaner up front,” Coen said. “I’d like to see us get our hands on some balls on defense. That’s something that I’ve been a little disappointed with is not getting any turnovers right now out of these two joints, but I’ve been pleased with the technique and fundamentally trying to get to that sharp spot.”
At Monday’s practice, Travis Hunter played exclusively at cornerback, and the trend mostly continued Wednesday. He played the first two 16-minute periods of 11-on-11 solely on defense, where he broke up a deep pass to Panthers wide receiver David Moore, before splitting time with offense during the 20-minute period.
Hunter’s training camp reps on defense aren’t indicative of the Jaguars’ plan for him at wide receiver during the regular season; rather, Coen wants Hunter to gain the ability to narrow in on specifics by talking through his defensive reps with coaches instead of jumping straight onto offense.
“A lot of the communication [and] a lot of the repetition needs to continue to be on both sides of the ball, but specifically on the defense,” Coen said. “We’re just trying to be intentional over the next couple weeks just about making sure that we’re ready to go for Cleveland.”
Throughout training camp, the Jaguars running back room continues developing against a top run defense, a category the team led the NFL in 2025, limiting opponents to an average of 85.6 rushing yards per game. The run game helped set the tone against the Panthers with multiple backs hitting gaps for large gains.
“You talk about all the little details and how important they are, because when you’re playing a defense that’s so stout against the run, all that stuff matters,” quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “Then today, when you come out with that intensity, all the details are on point, and you come off the ball. Now we’re seeing these creases hit a little bit more.
“It’s just iron sharpening iron and practice that’s really paying off.”
Lawrence converted three straight touchdown passes during red-zone work, including passes to tight ends Brenton Strange and Nate Boerkircher. He continues chasing consistency after throwing one interception and ending the final practice period on a three-and-out drive but remains confident in the team’s ability to continue improving.
“I think we were a lot better today than we were last week when we went against the Saints,” Lawrence said. “We got after it [and] just brought the juice every play. There’s going to be plenty on the tape to learn from. I need to get better. I know that all our guys out here are getting better every day, and that’s what we’re working towards.”
Category: Feature Sports News, Jacksonville Jaguars
